Cap With Hinged Top

ABSTRACT

The hinged top ( 2 ) is articulated to the body ( 1 ) of the cap and is produced by an injection process in a single piece whose top ( 2 ) is hot-bent towards the body ( 1 ) to fit a stopper ( 3 ) of the top ( 2 ) inside the pouring hole ( 5 ) of the cap body. Concentrically to the stopper ( 3 ) it has a guide ( 4 ) of annular cylindrical configuration sectioned by an inclined plane which defines a progressively decreasing height between a rear sector ( 4   b ) of greater height and a front sector ( 4   a ) of less height, a sector ( 4   b ) constituting the first contact with the outer surface of the pouring hole ( 5 ) for the progressive guiding and positioning of the stopper ( 3 ) during the bending of the top ( 2 ) until it fits inside the pouring hole ( 5 ).

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a cap of the type which has a body provided with a pouring nozzle, whereby the bottle contents can be directly consumed, a nozzle which is usually displaced with respect to the centre of the cap body and which is closed by a stopper established at the top of the cap.

It is an object of the invention to optimize the design of the sealing elements of the top of the cap in order to improve the bending and mounting conditions thereof on the cap body after the injection production of the open cap in a single piece which constitutes the top, the body and the articulation hinge between both.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Patent PCT ES02/00425 relates to a cap with tamper seal, which is constituted from a cylindrical body with coupling means on the corresponding bottleneck of the container which incorporates a pouring nozzle, through which the liquid from the bottle is poured or is directly consumed, a nozzle which is closed by a stopper established for said purpose in the top, articulated to the cap body via a bridge by way of a hinge.

During the injection processing of the cap, a single piece is produced which forms the body and the open top, both joined by a hinge bridge. Once the piece is injected and before the expulsion from the cap body mould, lateral bending means close the top on the cap body, a manoeuvre wherein it is essential that the stopper is introduced in the pouring hole in a precise manner to avoid permanent deformations thereof.

Indeed, due to the fact that the plastic is still hot, it is essential to perfectly guide said stopper in the closing or bending movement, since, otherwise the stopper would impact against the outer inclined surface of the pouring hole, which may cause the deformation of the stopper and with it the loss of watertightness.

To guide the stopper towards the pouring hole during the bending of the top, it is designed to be provided with a stopper guide, consisting of a cylindrical extension, concentric to the stopper and with markedly greater height than it, a guide which has an internal inclined edge which, in contact with the outer periphery of the pouring hole, encourages the guiding and sliding of the stopper inside the pouring hole.

The stopper guide firstly impacts against the sector of its inclined surface farthest from the joint (front sector) on the corresponding section of the opening, to progressively increase the surface in contact between the guide and the opening as the top is bent downwards, until it makes contact with the inclined surface of the guide closest to the joint, rear sector, with the corresponding sector of the opening.

The initial contact of the front sector of the guide on the opening of the pouring hole determines the gradual positioning of the stopper towards the inside of the pouring hole. The problem arises as a consequence of the ratio between the height of the guide and the height of a stopper being reduced, and that during the progressive sliding of the front sector of the guide in contact with the opening of the pouring hole it is not achieved that the stopper crosses said opening, coming to contact therewith instead of entering the pouring hole, becoming deformed.

On the other hand, we cannot have excessive height with respect to the height of the stopper, since the case could arise that during the bending of the top, the rear sector of the guide contacts prematurely with the body of the pouring hole constituting a lever point which would oblige the reduction in the curvature of the bending trajectory of the top making the stopper impact against the opening, becoming deformed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The cap with hinged top which constitutes the object of this invention resolves the aforementioned problem satisfactorily by an optimized design of the stopper guide.

The cap, after being produced by injection, consists of a body wherefrom there protrudes a pouring hole, out of phase in the upper part, and a hinged top which has said sealing guide which fits inside the pouring hole. The sealing guide, in accordance with the design proposed by the invention, favours, in the phase of bending the top towards the body of the cap, still hot after its production by injection, the progressive guiding of the stopper of the top and its subsequent positioning inside the pouring hole, avoiding any unwanted contact during the bending between said stopper and the opening of the pouring hole and, in consequence, any possible deformation of the stopper.

The sealing guide is devised with a general cylindrical configuration sectioned by an inclined plane which defines a height of the sealing guide which is progressively decreasing between a front sector of greater height, far from the hinge, and a subsequent section of less height, beside the hinge. Likewise, the height of the guide, in its highest sector, is markedly greater than that of the conventional guides, in the order of 2½ to 3 times the height of the stopper.

The height provided for the front sector, more than that commonly used in previous embodiments, permits that the guide comes into contact at an earlier point with the external inclined surface of the pouring hole, so that the stopper is positioned with respect to the pouring hole in a position distant from and above said pouring hole and, therefore, with greater margin of manoeuvre with respect to the opening, facilitating its progressive approximation and the perfect coupling of both elements

The reduced height of the rear sector of the stopper guide means that it practically does not intervene in the bending movement, the front sector of the guide being that which contacts with the outer surface of the pouring hole, guiding the stopper towards the inside of the pouring hole.

This optimizes the closure of the top on the cap body and the perfect guiding of the stopper towards the inside of the pouring hole, avoiding permanent deformations of the stopper by contact or collision with the pouring hole surface.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To complement the description being made, and in order to aid towards a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, in accordance with an example of preferred embodiment thereof, a set of drawings is attached as an integral part of said description wherein, with illustrative and non-limitative character, the following has been represented:

FIG. 1. Shows a view of a cap with hinged top belonging to the state of the art wherein the little margin of manoeuvrability of the stopper in its position with respect to the inside of the pouring hole during the bending of the top is observed, verifying the high probability of contact between the stopper and the opening and, therefore, the possible deformation of said stopper.

FIG. 2. Shows a view of the cap with hinged top object of this invention in open position.

FIG. 3. Shows a view of the cap with hinged top in the position wherein the sliding contact between the guide and the pouring hole begins.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

The cap with hinged top, which constitutes the object of this invention, fundamentally consists of a piece produced after the injection process, which is formed by a body (1) provided with a pouring hole (5), decentred, and a top (2) articulated to the body (1), via a hinge bridge (6), a top which has on its lower surface a stopper (3), which fits inside the pouring hole (5) in the closed position of the top, to obtain the necessary watertightness, and a stopper guide (4), concentric and outside the stopper (3).

As is observed in FIGS. 2 and 3, the stopper guide (4) shows a cylindrical configuration, sectioned by an inclined plane which defines a height of the stopper guide which is variable and progressive, which is of maximum height in the sector (4 b) farthest from the hinge area, and at minimum height in the sector (4 a) closest to the hinge area. The height of the guide in sector (4 b) is markedly greater than the height of the conventional guides, as in this case it is 2½ to 3 times more than the height of the stopper.

This configuration allows the stopper guide (4) to come into contact with the pouring hole (5), via sector (4 b) in a position wherein the stopper is greatly above and distant from the pouring hole, which allows a greater path to face one another and slide in said pouring hole.

Previously, in the case of the cap depicted in FIG. 1, belonging to the state of the art, the guide (40) had a homogenous height, contacting with the pouring hole (50) in a position of the top (20) with little margin for manoeuvre for the introduction of the stopper in the pouring hole (50) of the body (10).

The new morphology of the stopper guide gives the manoeuvre of the cap closure greater scope and margin of distances for the coupling, without damaging contact, between the stopper and the pouring hole. 

1. Cap with hinged top, of the type which are constituted from a piece produced by injection of plastic material, determining a body (1) provided with a pouring hole (5), decentred, and a top (2) articulated to the body (1), via a hinge bridge (6), a top which has on its lower surface a stopper (3) which fits inside the pouring hole (5) in the closed position of the top and a stopper guide (4), concentric and external to the stopper (3), characterized in that the stopper guide (4) shows a cylindrical configuration, sectioned by an inclined plane which defines a height of the stopper guide which is variable and progressive, which is of maximum height in the sector (4 b) farthest from the hinge zone, the height of the sector (4 b) being in the order of 2½ to 3 times that of the stopper (3), and of a minimum height in the sector (4 a) closest to the hinge area, the contact with the pouring hole beginning via the generatrix (4 b), so that when the stopper contact begins (3) it is in a position clearly above and distanced from the pouring hole, which will allow the correct opposition between both parts and their perfect coupling. 